André Oleffe, un « Grand Duc » de la sidérurgie belge

Primary tabs

From 1966, the Belgian State had become more and more involved in elaborating Belgian steel policy. This industry were poorly equipped to deal with the growing competition of the new steel producers in a period (1966-1975) marked by a strong growth in demand for steel followed by an unprecedented market collapse. It ‘s in this context that the first national institution for consultation and cooperation had been created in 1967. It was a rather original and innovative way to elaborate a more coordinated and cooperative steel policy in Belgium. Leaded by a major figure of the Belgian political and socio-economic « landerneau », André Oleffe, the CCPS had to managed the necessary sort out of the steel sector by the way of a tripartite consultations process between the governement, the sector’employers and trade unions. The challenge Andre Oleffe as chairman of the CCPS had to face was not the most easy one. While he played a central and very active role in this attempt to bring some order to the chaos of an industry more preoccupied with direct, short term profits than a long-term industrial policy, the institutional basis for tripartite cooperation had become inoperative from 1972. But the holding companies were become more and more dependent on it for obtaining State subsidies for their still firms. After several financial restructuring operations, a governement shareholder in the steel firms was gradually acquired from 1979.